Lamentations 5
1 Remember, O Lord, what has befallen us. Consider and look kindly upon our disgrace.
Remember, O Yahweh, what hath befallen us, Look around, and see our reproach:
2 Our inheritance has been turned over to foreigners; our houses to outsiders.
Our inheritance, turned over to foreigners, our houses, to aliens.
3 We have become orphans without a father; our mothers are like widows.
Orphans, have we become, and fatherless, our mothers, are widows indeed.
4 We paid for our drinking water. We acquired our wood for a price.
Our water—for silver, have we drunk, our wood—for a price, cometh in.
5 We were dragged by our necks. Being weary, no rest was given to us.
Upon our necks, are our pursuers, We labour, and there is allowed us no rest.
6 We have given our hand to Egypt and to the Assyrians, so that we may be satisfied with bread.
To Egypt, have we stretched out our hand, to Assyria, to be satisfied with bread.
7 Our fathers have sinned, and are not. And we have carried their iniquities.
Our fathers, sinned, and are not, and, we, their iniquities, have borne.
8 Servants have become rulers over us. There was no one to redeem us from their hand.
Slaves, have ruled over us, There is none to set free from their hand.
9 We obtained our bread at the risk of our lives, before the face of the sword, in the wilderness.
At the risk of our life, do we bring in our bread, because of the sword of the desert.
10 Our skin was burned, as if by an oven, before the face of the tempest of the famine.
Our skin, as with a furnace, is scorched, because of the hot winds of famine.
11 They humiliated the women in Zion and the virgins in the cities of Judah.
Women—in Zion, were ravished, virgins, in the cities of Judah!
12 The leaders were suspended by their hand. They were not ashamed before the faces of the elders.
Princes, by their hand, have been hanged, The faces of elders, not honoured.
13 They have sexually abused the adolescents, and the children were corrupted in the wood.
Young men, a millstone, have lifted, and, youths, under wood, have staggered.
14 The elders have ceased from the gates, the youths from the choir of the psalms.
Elders, from the gates, have ceased. Young men, from their music.
15 The gladness of our heart has failed, our singing has been turned into mourning.
Ceased hath the joy of our hearts, Changed to mourning, our dance.
16 The crown has fallen from our head. Woe to us, for we have sinned.
Fallen is the crown of our head. Surely woe to us, for we have sinned.
17 Because of this, our heart became gloomy; for this reason, our eyes have been darkened:
For this cause, faint is our heart, For these things, dimmed are our eyes:
18 because of mount Zion, because it was ruined. Foxes have wandered upon it.
Because of Mount Zion, which is desolate, jackals, have gone prowling therein.
19 But you, O Lord, shall remain for eternity, your throne from generation to generation.
Thou, O Yahweh, unto times age-abiding, dost remain, Thy throne, from generation to generation:
20 Why would you forget us forever? Why would you forsake us for a long time?
Wherefore shouldst thou perpetually forget us? forsake us, to length of days?
21 Convert us, O Lord, to you, and we shall be converted. Renew our days, as from the beginning.
Bring us back, O Yahweh, unto thyself, and we will come back! Renew our days, as of old;
22 But you have utterly rejected us; you are vehemently angry against us.
For though thou hast not, utterly rejected, us, thou art wroth with us—exceedingly!
